Bias against prog on classic rock radio?

[ronmac]

I heard it is more the program directors than the DJs. The program directors determine the format, the song library, and the DJs stay within those parameters or they're out.

Sure, the format and playlist is one thing, but I'm referring to the DJs who don't even dive into the playlist. I mean how many fucking times can you listen to "Another Brick in the Wall"?

[Progatron]

I mean how many fucking times can you listen to "Another Brick in the Wall"?

A bare minimum of 300 times per year, if you assume hearing it once a day on the radio and never playing it yourself - and I'm not joking or exaggerating.

[Digital_Man]

Here are a few that I never really get tired of:

I've seen all good people
Roundabout (although I don't hear it much anymore on the radio)
Tom Sawyer (limelight I get tired of for some reason unless I'm listening to MP)
Carry on my wayward son
Stairway to heaven
Lucky Man
Aqualung
ABitWp2 although I do get tired of hearing most Floyd on the radio


Maybe a few more

[bill g]

KZOK in Seattle regularly plays 'karn Evil 9, First Impression pt 2', and occasionally plays non hits by Tull and Yes (eg 'Yours is No Disgrace') I don't listen often, but am sometimes rewarded when I do. I don't think they make any distinction between different forms of 'classic rock'.

[oilersfan]

The notion that DJs have any control over their playlist is an old one. I have a good friend who left radio in the early 2000s after being a drive time and overnight DJ for the better part of a decade. By the time he left the business, he and the other OATs ("on air talents") had the option of switching out maybe one or two pre-programmed songs every hour or so, that's it. Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, that appeared on the station musically came from the service the station subscribed to. With fewer and fewer stations being truly independent, and even fewer independents NOT subscribing to some type of programming service, the variety that one used to hear on radio has diminished greatly.

[Digital_Man]

Well where I live the classic rock radio playlist is very very predictable with rarely any surprises. I used to always hear people say Philly is such a big prog town but if that's the case it certainly isn't reflected on the radio. In particular they don't seem to play YES at all anymore(or very rarely if they do). I scoured the playlists of the past week and out of thousands of songs only one YES song over the past week. No ELP whatsoever either and hardly any Moody Blues also.

[bob_32_116]

Isn't this "radio is rubbish" thing something that has been discussed to death on this board already? It's hardly new news.

[Trane]

Belgium's main classic rock station plays enough prog for me to notice this "bias"

[PeterG]

April Wine and Triumph on the radio much?

Yes, on hard rock and classic rock stations. But why are you asking about these two hard rock bands? I thought you were interested in hearing about the prog bands that are played on classic rock stations. In fact, I heard an April Wine song on BBC Radio 2 just a couple of days ago, I grant you though it was on an oldies programme.

[ronmac]

I used to always hear people say Philly is such a big prog town but if that's the case it certainly isn't reflected on the radio.

WYSP used to be THE station to listen to. They sold out decades ago.

(EDITED FROM ORIGINAL)

[Digital_Man]

WYEP used to be THE station to listen to. They sold out decades ago.

Do you mean WYSP? They are now a sports talk radio station.

As for AW and Triumph I think I mentioned them because they don't seem to played much on the radio(at least not that I have heard and not near me). Triumph had some prog elements imo and AW once did a cover of 21st century Schizoid Man.

[ronmac]

Do you mean WYSP? They are now a sports talk radio station.

As for AW and Triumph I think I mentioned them because they don't seem to played much on the radio(at least not that I have heard and not near me). Triumph had some prog elements imo and AW once did a cover of 21st century Schizoid Man.

YEs, my error. I will correct the original post.

[Digital_Man]

No big deal. I agree it was a good station at one point(as was MMR). WYSP even had a progressive rock radio show hosted by Ed Sciaky at one point. I remember listening to that in the late eighties when prog was apparently at it's lowest point commercially speaking.

[progmatist]

A week or two ago, a co-worker was playing a local classic rock station. They played Carry On Wayward Son, but cut it off in the middle, just before all the outro solos.

[spacefreak]

^Exactly what prog bands do they play on classic rock over there in Europe these days? Anything post 1978?

Here the post 1978 stuff on classic rock radio related to prog is Alan Parsons Project, Mike Oldfield, Genesis, Porcupine Tree, Magenta, Mostly Autumn, Marillion, Transatlantic, Dream Theater, Riverside. But always the same songs from these artists that were local "hits" in rock clubs by the same DJs that played them there...

However, I rarely listen to these stations in the car. Prefer talk radio or my own CDrs/flash disks

[Progatron]

Here the post 1978 stuff on classic rock radio related to prog is Alan Parsons Project, Mike Oldfield, Genesis, Porcupine Tree, Magenta, Mostly Autumn, Marillion, Transatlantic, Dream Theater, Riverside.

You're lucky to get those. Here in Canada, they do play Genesis, including older stuff, (but not anything long, so "Carpet Crawlers" for example), and you might hear "Eye In The Sky" by APP or "Pull Me Under" by DT. Absolutely nothing else from those bands you listed. I think I heard "Kayleigh" once about fifteen years ago.

[Digital_Man]

You're lucky to get those. Here in Canada, they do play Genesis, including older stuff, (but not anything long, so "Carpet Crawlers" for example), and you might hear "Eye In The Sky" by APP or "Pull Me Under" by DT. Absolutely nothing else from those bands you listed. I think I heard "Kayleigh" once about fifteen years ago.

I believe I heard "Kayleigh" and "Lavender" a few times on the radio back in the mid eighties right before I knew who they were. I don't think I made the prog connection and I certain didn't know the term "neo" prog. I also remember hearing Saga on the radio at one point. As for the Alan Parson's project I don't think they get played as much but I wouldn't be surprised if some stations still play them.

Also, It's interesting that a local hard rock station in 2002(or maybe early 2003)played "blackest eyes" by Porcupine Tree from their "In Absentia" album. That isn't even the album that broke them(that would be the next one "Deadwing"). It was an isolated thing and I never heard them on the radio again.

[Progatron]

I also remember hearing Saga on the radio at one point.

You hear plenty of them around here - or at least, a small handful of songs... "On The Loose", "Wind Him Up", "Scratching The Surface"... but again, this is largely a result of the "Canadian Content" rule.

[Digital_Man]

I just heard the band Guapo on the radio but it is an independent college radio station so it doesn't really count. It actually took me by surprise. The dj announced them as something like "full on prog rock." Interesting stuff.

[zravkapt]

^Guapo on the radio? Wow. Keep listening to that station.

[Yves]

I mean how many fucking times can you listen to "Another Brick in the Wall"?

Hey! Ronmac! Leave that song alone!

Don't misunderestimate people's desire to hear the same handful of songs over and over again... Radio stations research this stuff. Their goal is to make people "brand loyal" to their station. They don't want you touching that dial once you're tuned into their station. Radio listeners are not the avid music listeners that die hard collectors are. Their comfort zone is very narrow indeed. Give them what they want when they want, and you can squeeze in a bunch of ads in between. That's radio. It hasn't been about the music in a long time.

I'm lucky that I no longer work with a radio person, but I used to have a colleague who'd put the radio on a Lite Rock station here all...day...long....Used to drive me insane because I knew that she'd never make it through 1 song of the music I listen to but she expected me to deal with Beyoncé et al on a daily basis. I could tell you what time it was within 2 minutes because of what song they were playing. She never tired of it. In her world, a song was good because the radio station was plugging the shit of it. She didn't have the foggiest notion that her musical universe was merely a grain of sand in a desert...

[Digital_Man]

^Guapo on the radio? Wow. Keep listening to that station.

I listen to it occasionally. Not everything they play is prog. Even the djs who occasionally play prog play other stuff too. There's a lot of experimental and odd ball stuff as well as classical, jazz and a whole bunch of other stuff. Here's the link if you want to check it out(you can listen online). http://wprb.com/ It's out of Princeton New Jersey. I listen to it in my car usually(if there's something good on).

[BravadoNJ]

here in the NYC area we got Q104 which plays classic rock.
the only problem is they play the same 3-5 songs from the same bands over and over.
if they play Yes- it's either Owner. Roundabout or Seen All Good People.
Pink Floyd- something from The Wall & DSOTM only.
with ELP- they will only play Lucky Man, Still You Turn Me On and Father Christmas at Christmas time... and maybe FTB.
it's annoying because i can usually predict the song they will play when they announce who's coming up.
Billy Joel- it's always Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, Piano Man and Captain Jack
Queen- BoRap, WeWill/We Are, Best Friend & Another One Bites The Dust.
except for PF, ELP & Yes, it's very rare they play any prog...

[ronmac]

Hey! Ronmac! Leave that song alone!

Just went to pick up my kid at school, flipped on the radio and guess what was playing?

Flipped on another station and it was the umpteenth playing of "Life's Been Good."

Flipped on another and it was the umpteenth playing of "Iron Man."

Flipped on another and listened to NPR.

[markinottawa]

[QUOTE=Yves;531714]

I'm lucky that I no longer work with a radio person, but I used to have a colleague who'd put the radio on a Lite Rock station here all...day...long....Used to drive me insane QUOTE]

Killing you softly with her songs?